With the Greatest Care

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF PETER

WITH THE GREATED CARE

1 Peter 1:10-12

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

NIV

Peter had just told us that we have received the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls. Now he turns his attention, as directed or rather inspired by the Spirit, to the salvation the prophets spoke of. Peter calls it the grace that was to come to us. Again, this is the Charis type of grace, the divine influence on our hearts, which is exactly who Jesus is. He is the grace of God also in the sense as the free gift from God or the divinely gracious act of God. Peter tells us the prophets, although they spoke under the influence of the Spirit of God, as men, they still searched intently with the greatest of care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them they knew what they were saying, but did not know the when, and where, and perhaps even the exact who and how and maybe even the why. But they searched intently with the greatest of care trying to find those answers. This should give us a clue as to several things we should see in our lives. First, we should be speaking under the influence of the Spirit. This is especially true of those who preach from the pulpit. These individuals had the added burden of being responsible for the spiritual guidance of the local church, or the flock God has given them to care for. A pastor we had many years ago told us that each pastor has the number of people, he is capable of shepherding. That is some can shepherd more than others, but to be sure, each pastor has the exact number God has brought under his care. Second, we should be searching intently and with the greatest of care the scriptures concerning the events yet to unfold. As the prophets searched for the time of the Christ, who we know now is history and have gained a great deal because of his coming, suffering and dying on the cross for the salvation of our souls, we should be searching for the time and circumstances of his return to take us to where he is now. Many of us shy away from that search because it appears to be a mystery, yet the Spirit gave the revelation of Jesus to John. It is interesting the Greek word translated as revelation means to disclose or to be revealed. If something is disclosed or revealed then there is no mystery in it. Only when there is no discloser, or nothing has been revealed can we say there is some mystery surrounding an event. In addition, if we take the scripture as the truth of God, then as according to Paul’s second letter to Timothy:

2 Tim 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

NIV

We would then have to take this to heart and know that if we search intently and with the greatest of care, we will find the circumstances surrounding his second coming, although we will never know the time, as we have been clearly told the time is only for God to know. What we also know is that as we preach the gospel, we are not serving ourselves but those who hear our words, just as the prophets knew they were serving us. All of this points us to search intently with the greatest of care for the glories that will follow.